WATERBURY - More than two years after an operational assessment of the Waterbury Police Department recommended hiring more officers, adjusting the patrol work schedule to provide more time off and finding ways to attract lateral hires, the department has implemented those changes/
Department officials say the changes are instrumental in reducing crime.
Crime levels have come down in the city. Waterbury has seen a significant drop in murders this year. There have been six homicides in the city, five of which involved a firearm. Arrests have been made in all of the homicides. There were 18 murders in the city last year, one more than in 2022. Reports of shootings with no victim and nonfatal gunfire victims also have decreased so far this year. In 2023, there were 198 reports of shootings with no victims, and 60 so far this year.
The Board of Aldermen approved the hiring of BerryDunn, a professional services firm in Portland, Maine, to conduct the operational study for $187,781.
The department has hired 37 more officers, bringing the total to 287, with a full staff with 315 officers expected by spring of next year.
The department also streamlined the testing process and implemented a separate hiring process for certified officers.
In August, the department also amended its collective bargaining agreement to address patrol officers' work schedule, providing six extra days off per year.
"The closer we get to our budgeted number of officers, the better we can serve the citizens and visitors in our city," Chief Fernando Spagnolo said. "With better staffing numbers we can allocate personnel to specialized assignments to fit the needs of our neighborhoods, address quality of life issues around the city, reduce response times with adequate staffing in the patrol division, assign officers to proactive policing, and create opportunities and promotion within the department."
Spagnolo said when the study began the department was negotiating with the police union regarding salaries for new officers, which resulted in a 20% raise over five years. There were concerns about the retention of officers at the time.
"We asked for this study to check ourselves and ensure we are doing things as efficiently and effectively as possible," the chief said.
The consulting firm also highlighted concerns about the Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communications Center, adding that in some cases, it does not follow agreed-upon protocols for dispatching the police department personnel to calls for service.
David Martin, executive director of the Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communications Center, said staffing issues in the police department contributed to the lack of compliance with certain protocols requiring one or two officers on a call.
Martin said improvements have been made with increased staffing in the department.
BerryDunn also states that the current process of addressing unproductive "behavior by dispatchers or officers has resulted in both organizations operating in silos, without substantive interaction between the personnel across the departments."
In September 2023, a dispatcher at the Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communications Center placed hundreds of fictitious 911 calls to bolster its clearance rate and remain in compliance with its city contract.
Martin said the center has done everything to be transparent and put things in place to ensure it does not happen again. Martin also credited the chief regarding the installation of a liaison between both departments which he said has helped tremendously.
Starting in August 2022, BerryDunn conducted more than 90 interviews with staff, government officials and select community members identified by the Waterbury Police Department, according to the consultant's report.
Board of Aldermen President Michael DiGiovancarlo, who also serves as an officer in the department, said there are vast improvements with the recruitment of more officers and the change in the patrol work schedule.
BerryDunn's study cited some issues concerning morale.
Based on a survey of 137 responses, "poor morale was the most dominant theme mentioned in the qualitative responses, some of which included emotional language to describe current climate conditions within the WPD. Officers mentioned low morale on at least 31 occasions in the survey content." Spagnolo said the morale issue concerned the mandatory overtime officers were required to do. That issue has now improved with more officers hired, he said.
DiGiovancarlo said the change in the patrol work schedule, which provided more time off for officers has helped improve officers' mental health, with far less turnover.
The report lists several challenges for the department in addition to staffing such as an aging fleet, with many vehicles in need of replacement and a budget that is insufficient to support fleet maintenance and replacement. Spagnolo said he disagreed with that assessment in the report, adding that the department replaces more than 10 cars a year.
He acknowledged that COVID delayed orders, but that the department budgets for 10 or more replacements a year.
The report also recommends that the department should consider adding or amending policies concerning responses to LGBTQ individuals and the treatment of LGBTQ personnel. Spagnolo said the department already has an existing policy within the guidelines of requirements from the state.
Detective John Healey, president of Brass City Local, said there has been a vast improvement in morale and staffing. He mentioned the department had only one officer leave the department in 2022.
Michele Weinzetl, senior manager at BerryDunn, declined an interview.